Garden Detectives · Case 19
The Sock on the Dock
Short O · Level 4
Cumulative Short O review with ordered clues and a safe wildlife check

Before reading
Open the case file
Hear the focus words
Read and investigate
The Sock on the Dock
Natural read-along narration · AmeliaPress Read with Amelia, or choose a sentence to begin.
Dot hung a red sock on a low line by the pond. She used a peg to hold it. When Dot came back, the peg sat in the grass. The sock was gone.
Dot found a soft red thread on a log. A second red thread clung to a patch of moss. The trail led from the log to the dock. A frog sat there beside the missing sock.
Dot checked that the frog was not trapped. The sock was dry and had not touched the pond. A strong gust had popped the peg off the line. The sock dropped on the log, then blew across the dock.
The rough bark had pulled loose threads from it. Dot clipped it back with two pegs.
Check the evidence
Can you solve the case?
Choose the answer that is supported by the story.
What really happened?
A gust popped the peg loose and carried the sock over the log to the dock. Threads caught on the bark and moss marked its route.
For adults
Use evidence, not guesses
Ask the learner to point to the sentence that proves each answer. If decoding is effortful, reread one paragraph at a time. A fluent second reading is more valuable than rushing to the next story.